Web control device



April 1951 M. F. KRESTAN ETAL 2,979,279

WEB CONTROL DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 13, 1958 A ril 11, 1961 M. F. KRESTAN ETAL 2,979,279

WEB CONTROL DEVICE Filed Jan. 13, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig. 2

2,979,279 Patented Apr. 11, 1961 WEB CONTROL DEVICE Miles F. Krestan, Drexel Hill, and Robert E. White, Sharon Hill, Pa., assignors to Triangle Pubiications, v =Inc., Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of Delaware Filed Jan. 13,- 1958, Ser. No. 708,553 Claims. (Cl. 242-583) This invention relates to web supply mechanism and has for an object the provision of a device for controlling the vibration or flutter of the web from an expiring roll preparatory to severing the web and pasting it to a replacement roll.

This invention is particularly applicable to web supply mechanism for a printing machine operating on a web drawnfrom a roll. The web travels at a high rate of speed, for example, in the order of several feet per second and it is customary to supply the web to the printing machine from rolls having a diameter of approximately three to four feet. When an expiring roll of web material has run down to approximately eight or ten inches in diameter, it is necessary to make what is known in the trade as a paster; i.e., to sever the web from the expiring roll and concurrently to paste the severed end of that web to the new web on the replacement roll. It frequently happens that the expiring roll, or butt as it is commonly called, is eccentric or out of round to a considerable extent, and in view of its high speed of rotation this causes the web leaving the butt to flap in a forward and backward motion to such a degree that a web break at this point usually occurs unless the press speed is reduced. Although web supply mechanisms in the past have been intended for making the transfer from one web roll to another without loss of speed, as a practical matter it has been found necessary to slow the press down to a point where the flapping is reduced to a minimum so as to make the paster without danger of a web break. It is highly important to avoid a web break as this means that the press will be out of operation for a substantial period of time. In the newspaper field, the end product, i.e. news, is a highly perishable product and in view of the close time schedules that must be maintained it is necessary to avoid loss of production from the presses.

In accordance with the present invention there is eliminated the need for the previous slowdown operation and regardless of the shape of the expiring roll the press can be run at its regular press speed without danger of breaking the web. The novel control device is of simple construction which readily can be added to existing equipment in press rooms where the space about the press is limited and confined as well as to new machines. The device is automatic in its operation and by reason of its pivoted construction does not obstruct any of the required working space between the supply reels for the presses.

In accordance with one aspect of the invention there is provided in a web supply mechanism adapted to change the feed of a web from an expiring roll to a replacement roll, a retractable web control device extending across the web and adapted to engage the web at a location intermediate the expiring roll and the replacement roll. The device is adapted to be maintained in engagement with the web during the severing thereof to minimize the flutter of the web as it leaves the expiring roll and thereby minimize breakage of the web during the change of web feed from the expiring roll to the replacement roll While maintaining a normal rate of speed of the web.

After the severing operation the device is adapted to be automatically collapsed and moved to a retracted position.

More specifically, the web control device comprises a flutter bar which is pivotally supported by the cutting means of a web supply mechanism and automatically movable therewith from a folded position out of engagement with the web to an extended position engaging the web at a location closer to the expiring roll than the cutting means so as to minimize the flutter of the web as it leaves the expiring roll.

For a more detailed disclosure of the invention and for further objects and advantages thereof, reference is to be had to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a web supply mechanism incorporating the present invention with the parts shown in position preparatory to severing the web from an expired roll and securing it to a replacement roll;

Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the mechanism shown in Fig. 1 with the web reel illustrated in its normal operate ing position for supplying the web to a printing press or the like,

Fig. 3 is a fractional view of the novel web control device for minimizing flutter of the web;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fractional View of a pivoted supporting arm of the web control device in the extended position shown in Figs. 1 and 3; and

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fractional exploded view showing the pivoted supporting arm of the web control device in retracted position corresponding to that shown in Fig. 2. Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, there is shown a web supply mechanism 10 generally of the type well-known in the art which employs a web supporting reel 11 having a plurality of arms 12 (for example three) each adapted to support a paper roll such as rolls 13, 13' and 13 In Fig. 2 the mechanism has been illustrated in normal operating position with the web 13a being withdrawn from the top roll or web supply 13. The reel 11 is adapted to be mounted on a cross shaft 14 which in turn is mounted on a pair of spaced columns 15, only one of which is shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

The rolls of paper 1313" are adapted to be supported in any suitable manner such as by ball bearing adjustable cones which engage the core of the roll. The cones may be retractable as by levers 17 so as to facilitate loading the respective arms of the reel with new web supply rolls. Each of the cones as viewed from the end of the machine in Fig. 1 is provided with a brake drum 18 around which is positioned a brake band 19 whose braking action is automatically controlled to maintain a constant preset web tension during a web splicing operation. Brake handles 20 are provided to make the auxiliary tension operative at the beginning of a splicing operation. As is general practice, the web supply mechanism includes means for rotating the reel 11 from the normal operating position shown in Fig. 2 to the transfer position shown in Fig. 1 where the roll 13 has been moved to the lower left-hand position which is the position of the expiring roll and the new roll 13 has been moved to the replacement roll position in driving engagement with one or more driving belts 25. The position of the mechanism shown in Fig. l is sometimes referred to as a web prejoining position where the web 13a running from the expiring roll 13 is about to be joined or spliced to the web of the replacement roll 13'. The operation and de-- tails of the web supply mechanism, as thus far described,': are more fully disclosed in United States Letters Patent Nos. 2,155,431 and 2,063,098.

Prior to movement of roll 13 to the position shown: in Fig. 1. it is prepared for making a high speed splice. The leading end of the web of the replacement roll 13" is folded in a predetermined manner and paste tortsplic z ance with a predetermined pattern, all as more fully described in United States Letters Patent Nos. 2,110,976

and2,160,855. 7

When the expiring roll 13 reaches a diameter of approximately eight to ten inches the auxiliary brake handle 20 is moved to the On" position andat the same time the operator pushes a changeover button on the control panel 26. This operation is followed by pushing of a start button on panel 26 and causing the reel 11 automatically to rotate to the pasting position shown in Fig. 1. The rotation of the reel preferably is stopped automatically, as for example, when the replacement roll 13 intercepts a beam of light from a source which was energized concurrently with the pressing of the start button. During this time the auxiliary brake automatically maintains a uniform tension on the web.

When the reel 11 has moved from the normal operating position shown in Fig. 2 to the pasting position shown in Fig. l, the brush and knife mechanism 30 is lowered from the position shown in Fig. 2 to the position shown in Fig. 1. During the lowering of the brush and knife mechanism 30 the belt 25 automatically moves down into engagement to accelerate the new roll 13 to the proper web speed. The brush and knife mechanism 30 has been illustrated in its lowered latched-in position in Fig. l preparatory to making a splice.

The severing mechanism 30 is supported by way of a pair of members 31 which in turn are supported from an overhead frame 29. The members 31 include pivots 32 which in turn carry two pairs of arms 34 and 35. The inner pair of arms 34 is interconnected at their outer ends by structure (not shown) which in turn carlies a brush 36 or similar means adapted to engage the web of the expiring roll 13 and force it against the adhesive-coated portions of the web on the replacement roll 13'. The other pair of arms 35 is supported on the outside of the arms 34 and is adapted to support a cutting blade holder 37 which in turn supports a cutting blade or knife 38 normally concealed within it. The pivoted frames formed respectively by the arms 34 and brush 36 and the arms 35 and the knife holder 37 are adapted to be latched together at the front. This latch is adapted to be released during a pasting operation so that the brush 36 can be pushed against the expiring web by pre-loaded spring means carried by the knife frame. Suitable timing means is provided for the foregoing operation and for releasing the knife from its sheath to sever the web, all as more fully described in the aforesaid Patent 2,155,431. After the splice has been completed and the web severed, the brush handle 40 is pulled back to relatch the brush arms 34 with the knife arms 35 by means of a latch handle 41. The entire brush and knife mechanism 30 may now be raised to the upper position as shown in Fig. 2.

The web supply mechanism as thus far described is well-known in the art and has been used extensively in supplying web material such as paper to printing machines. One of the major problems encountered in this field has been the difficulty in transferring from one web supply to another without decreasing the normal operating speed of the printing press. This difiiculty is occasioned because as the diameter of the expiring roll decreases, its speed rises. Any irregularity or damage to the roll causes considerable vibration and such irregularity in the movement 'of the web that heretofore it has been necessary to slow down the paper speed as the end of the roll is approached. Various means heretofore have been employed to overcome this difficulty such, for example, as the arrangement described in Patent No. 2,205,498. While such arrangements have helped to a certain extent, still they have left something to be desired. As a result, the usual practice has been to slow down the speed of the web as the end of the roll is approached and this means that for about two minutes out of each fifteen-minute period the speed of the press must be decreased. In large installations, for example, in press rooms of large cities, the presses operate in banks of 20, 50 and or more. Thus the loss of production from the presses by the slowdown opera tion is very substantial. The novel web control mechanism now to be described in detail has proved so efiective in preventing web breaks that the slowdown operation heretofore required has been eliminated.

As may be seen in Fig. 1, the brush and knife mechanism 30 is provided with a guard 45 which is carried by the knife holder 37 and is moved with the pair of knife holder arms 35. Pivotally secured to guard 45 is a web control device 50. Device 50, which may be referred to as a flutter bar device, since it eliminates the flutter of the expiring web, comprises a bar 51 which extends completely across expiring web 13a and is supported by pivoted curved arms 52. Arms 52 are pivotally supported at their upper ends by means of a rod 53 which in turn is carried on the lower side of guard 45 by means of a plurality of brackets 54. As may be seen in Fig. 5 the outer ends of the rod 53 are threaded at 53a and adapted to pass through the opening 52a in the inner ends of the arms 52. The arms 52 are held on the ends of the rod 53 by means of a washer member 55 and a nut 56. The arms 52 are free to pivot about the axis of the rod 53 through a predetermined angle relative to the mechanism 30 as controlled by a stationary pin 57 which is adapted to engage a shoulder 52b as shown in Fig. 4. The purpose of the shoulder and pin arrangement will now be described.

As will be seen in Figs. 1-3, the arms 52 are constructed so that the flutter bar device 50 hangs down at all times whether the brush and knife mechanism 30 is in the up position, as shown in Fig. 2, or in the lowered or splicing position, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3. When the brush and knife mechanism 30 is moved to the upper position, as shown in Fig. 2, the pin 57 permits the arms 52 to be rotated about the axis of rod 53 in a counterclockwise direction under the action of the members 59 which are carried by the overhead frame 29 and which are so positioned as to engage the cam surfaces or ears 52c on each of the arms 52. The shoulder 52b on the arms 52 is so positioned that it will not engage the stop pin 57 until the arms 52 have been moved to a retracted position closely adjacent the underside of the brush and knife mechanism 30 as shown in Fig. 2. The members 59 thus automatically rotate the web control device 50 to this retracted position where it is out of the way of the operator and does not interfere with his head room and working space between adjacent machines.

When the brush and knife mechanism 30 is in the lower position, as shown in Fig. 1, the flutter bar 51 is moved into engagement with the web 13a at a position below the knife 38 and intermediate the expiring roll 13 and the replacement roll 13'. This moves the bar 51 into engagement with the web 13a at a location where the flutter or vibration of the web is substantial and permits the bar 51 to control the flapping of the web so that it is substantially eliminated when the web passes over the knife 38 and the brush 36 where the pasting or splicing of the web occurs. The stop pin 57 engages the shoulder 52b on the respective arms 52, Fig. 4, and thus prevents the arms 52 from being pivoted further in a clockwise direction, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3. In this manner the bar 51 applies a steady pressure on the web 13a being withdrawn from the expiring roll 13 thus preventing chattering and compensating for irregularities in the shape of the core of the paper rolls.

Since the flutter bar device 50 extends below the brush and knife assembly when it is in operating position, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, provision has been made to retract the. device 50 so it can pass between closely spaced gamers machines and thus requires no greater spacing between the machines than has been required heretofore without the flutter bar device 50. This retacting feature is accomplished by reason of the novel pivotal arrangement of the arms 52. As the brush and knife mechanism moves from the lower position in Fig. 1 to the upper position in Fig. 2 the arms 52 maintain their downward hanging position by reason of gravity and as they are moved to the position shown in Fig. 2 the stationary members 59 engage the cam surfaces 520 on the arms 52 and pivot the arms 52 in a counterclockwise direction about the axis of their support 53. This moves the lower portions of the arms 52 and the web engaging bar 51 as well as the additional supporting crossbar 61 closely adjacent the brushes 36. This arrangement permits the novel web control or flutter bar device 50 not only to be supplied on new equipment, but also by reason of its space-conserving construction enables the device to be added to existing equipment already installed in printing plants.

While there has been described a preferred embodiment of the invention, it will be understood that further modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a web supply mechanism including severing means adapted to change the feed of a web from an expiring roll to a replacement roll, a retractable web control device extending across the expiring web below the severing means and having structure adapted to engage the expiring web at a location intermediate the expiring roll and the replacement roll, means for continuously maintaining said structure of said device in engagement with said web during the severing thereof to minmize the flutter of said web as it leaves the expiring roll and thereby minimize breakage of the web during the change of feed operation, and means for automatically pivoting said device under gravity bias relative to the severing means to a collapsed inactive position.

2. In web supply apparatus having retractable severing mechanism movable from an inactive upper position to an active lower position and adapted to change the feed of web from an expiring roll to a replacement roll, a flutter bar device pivotally carried by said mechanism and adapted to engage the web at a location closer to the expiring roll than said severing mechanism is to the expiring roll to minimize the flutter of the Web as it leaves the expiring roll, said device comprising a pair of spaced arms, means pivotally supporting said pair of arms at their upper ends to said severing mechanism for free pivotal movement about the axis of said supporting means through a predetermined angle relative to said severing mechanism, a bar carried by said pair of arms adjacent their lower ends, and means cooperating with said arms at a limit of said predetermined angle for holding said bar in engagement with said web as it leaves the expiring roll when said severing mechanism is in said active lower position, said arms being so constructedand arranged as to maintaina downward hanging position by reason of gravity as they subsequently move to said inactive upper position with said severing mechanism.

3. In web supply apparatus according to claim 2 wherein said cooperating means comprises a stop member engagable with at least one of said arms to hold said bar against said web and prevent rotation of said arms about their pivotal support in a direction away from said web.

4. In web supply apparatus having retractable severing mechanism movable from an inactive upper position to an active lower position and adapted to change the feed of web from an expiring roll to a replacement roll, a flutter bar device pivotally carried by said mechanism and adapted to engage the Web at a location closer to the expiring roll than said severing mechanism is to the expiring roll to minimize the flutter of the web as it leaves the expiring roll, said device comprising a pair of spaced curved arms pivotally supported at their upper ends to said severing mechanism, a bar carried by said pair of curved arms adjacent the lower ends, means cooperating with said arms for holding said bar in engagement with said web as it leaves the expiring roll when said severing mechanism is in said active lower position, and means cooperating with said pair of curved arms automatically to fold said bar to a retracted position closely adjacent said severing mechanism when said severing mechanism is raised to its inactive upper position.

5. In web supply apparatus having retractable severing mechanism movable from an inactive upper position to an active lower position and adapted to change the feed of web from an expiring roll to a replacement roll, a flutter bar device pivotally carried by said mechanism and adapted to engage the web at a location closer to the expiring roll than said severingmechanism is to the expiring roll to minimize the flutter of the web as it leaves the expiring roll, said device comprising a pair of spaced curved arms pivotally supported at their upper ends to said severing mechanism, a bar carried by said pair of curved arms adjacent the lower ends, means cooperating with said arms for holding said bar in engagement with said web as it leaves the expiring roll when said severing mechanism is in said active lower position, and means cooperating with said pair of curved arms automatically to fold said bar to a retracted position closely adjacent said severing mechanism when said severing mechanism is raised to its inactive upper position, wherein said lastnamed means comprises stationary structure disposed at the upper position and adapted to engage at least one of said arms when in said upper position to rotate said arms about their pivotal support in a direction to move said bar closely adjacent said severing mechanism.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,217,897 Freeman Oct. 15, 1940 2,620,994 Bennett Dec. 9, 1952 2,689,095 McWhorter Sept. 14, 4 

